This is not a political post. But after seeing too many incorrect uses of the Christmas story, I want to attempt to correct a false narrative that some people with a particular agenda have been giving. That narrative is that the nativity story – the story of Jesus coming to this earth as a baby – is an immigration story. I am not against immigration, but I am against people using the Bible incorrectly.
At first glance, it seems like the nativity story is an immigration story. After all, we have a couple traveling to an area, finding no room in the inn, and then ending up delivering a baby in a stable. While that sounds like an immigration story, let me explain why it is not.
Mary and Joseph Were Not Immigrants
The main reason why the nativity story is not an immigration story is because Mary and Joseph were not immigrants when Jesus was born. According to Luke’s gospel, the couple traveled from Nazareth to Bethlehem because of a Roman census:
“And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David” (Luke 2:3-4).
In the New Testament, “Israel” is often used as a theological and ethnic term for the whole land, but politically it was divided into provinces. Nazareth was in Galilee (the northern region) and Bethlehem was in Judea (the southern region). Both of these provinces were part of Roman Empire. So Joseph, in traveling from Galilee to Bethlehem, was returning to the hometown of his ancestors to take part in the census. He was not moving across any borders. Instead, he was making an internal trip within the Roman Empire, and within Israel as a whole. This does not fit the definition of immigration as we understand it today.
Jesus Was Born Among His Own People
But let’s also not forget that Jesus, a Jew, came first to the Jews. “But you, O Bethlehem… from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel” (Micah 5:2). Jesus was born among his own people, in the land promised to Israel, fulfilling Old Testament prophecy.
Jesus was not an immigrant. Therefore, to turn the nativity story into an immigration story is to reshape the text to serve a modern narrative (and agenda).
What About Moving To Egypt?
Someone may say, “What about when Jesus and his family had to flee to Egypt to avoid being caught by Herod?” That is a valid question. In Matthew’s gospel, we see that they are told after Jesus’ birth, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you” (Matthew 2:13). Here, Jesus and his family do leave their homeland and live in a foreign country for safety.
However, even then, it was not true immigration. First, they never planned to stay there permanently. They were there temporarily until God told them to move back (see Matthew 2:13). Second, both Judea and Egypt were under the authority of the Roman Empire. Egypt had been a province under the direct control of Rome since about 30 BC.
When Joseph took Mary and Jesus to Egypt, they were not leaving the Roman legal system. This might be slightly comparable to a person in Puerto Rico (a US territory) moving to the state of Florida. They were moving from a region where Herod had jurisdiction to a region where he had none, but they were still under the same Emperor (Caesar Augustus).
Immigration Stories In The Bible
Just because the nativity story is not an immigration story does not mean that God does not care for the immigrants. God tells the nation of Israel, “You shall not wrong a sojourner or oppress him, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt” (Exodus 22:21, see also 23:9). He is pointing out to them that the entire nation of Israel started out as immigrants.
Abraham was called to leave his family and country to move to a foreign land (Genesis 12:4-5). He became the father of the nation of Israel. Then, later on, the Israelites all moved out of their new homeland in Canaan to Egypt, to survive the famine. They ended up living there for 400 years.
Ruth was an immigrant. She was a Moabite who moved from the country of Moab to Bethlehem in Judah. She eventually became an heir to King David and Jesus Christ! Joseph was also an immigrant, though not by choice. He was sold into slavery and forced to move to Egypt. God ultimately used this situation to save Israel during the famine. Daniel was another immigrant, being exiled to Babylon.
So make no mistake. Immigration is very much part of the Bible. While Jesus was not an immigrant, his earthly ancestors (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) were.
Conclusion
Let’s choose to honor the text for what it actually says, rather than what we want it to mean for a modern debate. But let’s also not think that God is silent on the topic of immigration.
The nativity story may not fit the definition of immigration, but the Bible is full of other immigration stories. From Abraham leaving his kindred for a land he did not know, to Ruth choosing to leave Moab for Bethlehem. God gives a clear command in the Old Testament to be kind to the immigrant.
And really, if you think about it, any Christian is headed for the ultimate immigration. One day, when Jesus returns, we will be with him forever in a new heaven and a new earth. This earth is not our home. Our identity as Americans is temporary, because we are ultimately citizens of heaven.